He was a kicker three NFL teams released before he arrived in Denver, so Matt Prater has lived the day-to-day, sometimes hour-to-hour, life that comes with the position in a league with little patience.

But on Monday, while preparing to enter his fifth full season with the Broncos, Prater became a long-term investment for the team with a four-year contract worth $13 million, including a $3 million signing bonus.

“I had all the confidence in the world in the Broncos and my agent (Frank Bauer),” Prater said. “I knew they had been close for a while now and that they were good on both sides. It was just working out the little details. I just want to get back on the field and kick, because that’s what I’m good at.

“I’ve progressed and gotten better. I was hoping for (the contract) to happen, and now that it’s happened I’m very thankful and gracious and ready to prove why I got a long-term contract. I need to show everyone that I’m worth it.”

Prater skipped the Broncos’ offseason programs, including a mandatory minicamp last month. But John Elway, the Broncos’ executive vice president of football operations, was confident the team and Prater would come to a contract agreement. Prater had been designated the Broncos’ franchise player, which meant he had a one-year tender offer worth $2.64 million for 2012.

Prater’s new deal, which averages $3.25 million per year, puts the kicker in the NFL’s upper crust at the position. He’s just behind New England’s Stephen Gostkowski, whose contract averages $3.4 million per year and is the third-highest paid kicker in the NFL.

Oakland’s Sebastian Janikowski is the league’s highest-paid kicker with a contract that averages $4 million per year.

“It feels amazing. It’s something I’ve worked for since I was a little kid,” Prater said. “As far as the process, it’s kind of tough, especially when the practices started because I wanted to be there. But in the end I knew it was going to get done. I’m excited to be back.”

Announcing the deal via Twitter, Elway said Prater’s contract “was the final piece in setting our roster for camp and we are thrilled Matt is going to be a Bronco for a long time.”

Prater had four game-winning field goals last season, including three consecutive weeks in which he kicked the winner on the game’s final play. He led the NFL in touchback percentage (.701), with 47 of his 67 kickoffs not returned.

Prater ranks second in Broncos history with a field-goal conversion rate of 80.4 percent, just behind Jason Elam (80.6 percent). He has made 12-of-16 kicks from 50 yards or longer and has converted 28-of-29 kicks in the fourth quarter or overtime.

Prater, who played at Central Florida, wasn’t drafted. The Lions, Dolphins and Falcons released him before the Broncos signed him off the Dolphins’ practice squad in December 2007. He has been with the Broncos ever since.

“I’m pretty confident in what I can do,” Prater said. “I’m excited to get back to work and being around everybody.”

Asked about the Broncos’ new-look offense, with Peyton Manning at quarterback, Prater said, “Maybe I’ll just have to kick extra points this year.”

CenturyLink, the telecommunications company that ended its sponsorship agreement with Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall because of his protests during the national anthem last year, said it will not terminate its agreement with current client Emmanuel Sanders.